Using Archived Data and Specimen Collections to Advance Maternal and Pediatric HIV/AIDS Research (R21 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA HD 25 009

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 25 009

Using Archived Data and Specimen Collections to Advance Maternal and Pediatric HIV/AIDS Research is an NIH grant opportunity (RFA-HD-25-009) that supports exploratory, early-stage studies under the R21 mechanism, with clinical trials not allowed. The focus is on helping the maternal and pediatric HIV research community get more scientific value out of resources that already exist by promoting translation, reuse, and sharing of archived HIV/AIDS datasets and stored specimen collections. Rather than funding new participant recruitment or prospective clinical testing, this NOFO is designed for secondary analyses that can quickly generate fresh insights, new hypotheses, and follow-on research directions that align with the priorities of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), specifically its Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Disease Branch (MPIDB), in coordination with the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR).

The core goal is to encourage applicants to take advantage of existing data and specimens and apply modern or advanced analytic approaches to answer high-value questions about HIV/AIDS in maternal, pediatric, and adolescent populations. The scientific scope is broad within that population focus, covering areas such as epidemiology (for example, trends in transmission or outcomes across settings and subgroups), pathogenesis (how disease develops and differs across stages of pregnancy, infancy, childhood, and adolescence), treatment (including patterns of response, resistance, adherence-related signals captured in prior studies, or comparative outcomes across regimens), and the clinical manifestations and complications of HIV/AIDS (including comorbidities and longer-term developmental or health impacts). Because the emphasis is on leveraging archived resources, competitive projects are expected to show a clear plan for using existing datasets and/or specimen repositories to produce new knowledge rather than simply repeating prior published analyses.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant program run by the National Institutes of Health, categorized under Health, Income Security and Social Services, and associated with CFDA numbers 93.242 and 93.865. The original closing date listed for the opportunity was July 24, 2024, and the maximum award amount (ceiling) is $275,000. As an R21, the program is oriented toward shorter, hypothesis-generating work that can demonstrate feasibility or reveal novel findings that may later justify larger-scale applications.

Eligibility is intentionally expansive to pull in a wide range of institutions and organizations capable of rigorous secondary analysis and data/specimen-driven discovery. Eligible applicants include many types of U.S. governmental entities (state, county, city/township, special district governments, and independent school districts), public and state-controlled and private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, tribal organizations that are not federally recognized, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and both nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status) and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), as well as small businesses and other applicants. The NOFO also highlights additional eligible groups such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and non-U.S. (foreign) entities. This wide eligibility reflects the intent to broaden participation and accelerate discovery by allowing many sectors to contribute, especially those with access to unique cohorts, archives, repositories, or analytic expertise.

In practical terms, the opportunity is best suited for teams that already have a strong handle on an archived dataset or specimen collection and can clearly explain what new question they will answer, why existing resources are sufficient, and how updated methods (for example, improved statistical modeling, integrative analyses across multiple datasets, or novel laboratory approaches applied to stored specimens) will yield insights relevant to maternal and pediatric HIV. The overall emphasis is on maximizing the scientific return of prior investments in HIV/AIDS research by enabling new analyses that can inform future studies, clinical understanding, and public health strategies for pregnant people, infants, children, and adolescents affected by HIV.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Using Archived Data and Specimen Collections to Advance Maternal and Pediatric HIV/AIDS Research (R21 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242, 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-24. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $275,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

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